Sociology 202 Ch 4 Key Terms

achieved status

the status a person chooses

agricultural societies

societies that rely on farming as a way of life

alienation

an individual’s isolation from his society

anomie

a situation in which society no longer has the support of a firm collective consciousness

ascribed status

the status outside of an individual’s control

bourgeoisie

the owners of the means of production in a society

capitalism

a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land

class consciousness

the awareness of one’s rank in society

collective conscience

the communal beliefs

false consciousness

a condition in which the beliefs

feudal societies

societies that operate on a strict hierarchical system of power based around land ownership and protection

habitualization

the idea that society is constructed by us and those before us

horticultural societies

societies based around the cultivation of plants

hunter-gatherer societies

societies that depend on hunting wild animals and gathering uncultivated plants for survival

industrial societies

societies characterized by a reliance on mechanized labor to create material goods

information societies

societies based on the production of nonmaterial goods and services

institutionalization

the act of implanting a convention or norm into society

iron cage

a situation in which an individual is trapped by social institutions

looking-glass self

our reflection of how we think we appear to others

mechanical solidarity

a type of social order maintained by the collective consciousness of a culture

organic solidarity

a type of social order based around an acceptance of economic and social differences

pastoral societies

societies based around the domestication of animals

proletariat

the laborers in a society

rationalization

a belief that modern society should be built around logic and efficiency rather than morality or tradition

role conflict

a situation when one or more of an individual’s roles clash

role performance

the expression of a role

role strain

stress that occurs when too much is required of a single role

role-set

an array of roles attached to a particular status

roles

patterns of behavior that are representative of a person’s social status

self-fulfilling prophecy

an idea that becomes true when acted upon

social integration

how strongly a person is connected to his or her social group

society

a group of people who live in a definable community and share the same cultural components

status

the responsibilities and benefits that a person experiences according to his or her rank and role in society

Thomas theorem

how a subjective reality can drive events to develop in accordance with that reality